Asparagus
<p><font size="3"><b>Asparagus</b> is a type of </font><a title="Vegetable" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable"><font size="3">vegetable</font></a><font size="3"> obtained from one species within the genus <i><a title="Asparagus (genus)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_(genus)">Asparagus</a></i>, specifically the young </font><a title="Shoots" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoots"><font size="3">shoots</font></a><font size="3"> of <i>Asparagus officinalis</i>. It has been used from very early times as a culinary vegetable, owing to its delicate flavour and </font><a title="Diuretic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diuretic"><font size="3">diuretic</font></a><font size="3"> properties. There is a </font><a title="Recipe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recipe"><font size="3">recipe</font></a><font size="3"> for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, </font><a title="Apicius" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apicius"><font size="3">Apicius</font></a><font size="3">'s 3rd century CE <i><a title="De re coquinaria" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_coquinaria">De re coquinaria</a>,</i> Book III.</font></p><p><font size="3">White asparagus is cultivated by denying the plants light and increasing the amount of ultraviolet light exposed to the plants while they are being grown.</font></p><p><font size="3">Purple asparagus is different to its green and white <strong class="selflink">counterparts</strong>, mainly as it is characterised by high sugar and low </font><a title="Fibre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre"><font size="3">fibre</font></a><font size="3"> levels. Purple asparagus was originally developed in </font><a title="Italy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy"><font size="3">Italy</font></a><font size="3"> and was commercialised under the variety name 'Violetto d'Albenga'. Since then, breeding work has continued in countries such as USA and New Zealand.</font></p><p><font size="3">The English word "asparagus" derives from classical </font><a title="Latin language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language"><font size="3">Latin</font></a><font size="3">, but the plant was once known in English as <i>sperage</i>, from the </font><a title="Medieval Latin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Latin"><font size="3">Medieval Latin</font></a><font size="3">
<i>sparagus</i>. This term itself derives from the </font><a title="Greek language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language"><font size="3">Greek</font></a><font size="3">
<i>aspharagos</i> or <i>asparagos</i>, and the Greek term originates from the </font><a title="Persian language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_language"><font size="3">Persian</font></a><font size="3">
<i>asparag</i>, meaning "sprout" or "shoot." The original Latin name has now supplanted the English word. Asparagus was also corrupted in some places to "sparrow grass"; indeed, </font><a title="John Walker (naturalist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Walker_(naturalist)"><font size="3">John Walker</font></a><font size="3"> stated in </font><a title="1791" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1791"><font size="3">1791</font></a><font size="3"> that "<i>Sparrow-grass</i> is so general that <i>asparagus</i> has an air of stiffness and pedantry." <sup class="noprint">[<a title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources" style="WHITE-SPACE: nowrap;">citation needed</span></i></a>]</sup> It is commonly known in fruit retail circles as "Sparrows Guts", etymologically distinct from the old term "sparrow grass" showing convergent language evolution.</font></p><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 182px;"><a class="internal" title="Asparagus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Asparagus.jpg"><font size="3"><img class="thumbimage" height="135" alt="Asparagus" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Asparagus.jpg/180px-Asparagus.jpg" width="180" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Asparagus.jpg"/></font></a><font size="3">
</font><div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right;"><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Asparagus.jpg"><font size="3"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15"/></font></a></div><font size="3">Asparagus</font></div></div></div><p><font size="3">In their simplest form, the shoots are boiled or steamed until tender and served with a light sauce like </font><a title="Hollandaise" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollandaise"><font size="3">hollandaise</font></a><font size="3"> or melted butter or a drizzle of </font><a title="Olive oil" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil"><font size="3">olive oil</font></a><font size="3"> with a dusting of </font><a title="Parmesan cheese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmesan_cheese"><font size="3">Parmesan cheese</font></a><font size="3">. A refinement is to tie the shoots into sheaves and stand them so that the lower part of the stalks are boiled, while the more tender heads are steamed. Tall cylindrical asparagus cooking pots have liners with handles and perforated bases to make this process foolproof.</font></p><p><font size="3">Unlike most vegetables, where the smaller and thinner are the more tender, thick asparagus stalks have more tender volume to the proportion of skin. When asparagus have been too long in the market, the cut ends will have dried and gone slightly </font><a title="Concave" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concave"><font size="3">concave</font></a><font size="3">. Meticulous cooks scrape asparagus stalks with a vegetable peeler, stroking away from the head, and refresh them in ice-cold water before steaming them; the peel is often added back to the cooking water and removed only after the asparagus is done, this is supposed to prevent diluting the flavor. Small or full-sized stalks can be made into </font><a class="new" title="Asparagus soup" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asparagus_soup&action=edit"><font size="3">asparagus soup</font></a><font size="3">. </font><a title="Guangzhou" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou"><font size="3">Cantonese</font></a><font size="3"> restaurants in the </font><a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States"><font size="3">United States</font></a><font size="3"> often serve asparagus stir-fried with </font><a title="Chicken" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken"><font size="3">chicken</font></a><font size="3">, </font><a title="Shrimp" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp"><font size="3">shrimp</font></a><font size="3">, or </font><a title="Beef" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef"><font size="3">beef</font></a><font size="3">. Asparagus may also be quickly grilled over charcoal or hardwood embers, for an infusion of smoke flavor. Asparagus is one of few foods which is considered acceptable to eat with the hands in polite company, although this is more common in </font><a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe"><font size="3">Europe</font></a><font size="3">.</font></p>[attach]6406[/attach]<br/>
